Child&#39;s chair.



PATENTED JUNE 5, 1906..

7 W. F. OLIVER.

GHILDS CHAIR APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTON F. OLIVER, OF BALDWINSVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ELVVINL. THOMPSON, OF BALDWINSVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

CHILDS CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTON F. OLIVER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Baldwinsville, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in a Childs Chair, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to childrens chairs provided with side arms and a swinging table adapted to be swung down upon the arms when in use and to be swung up out of the way. It is common in such chairs to make transverse open locking-grooves in the ends of the arms to receive the free ends of a spring rod or wire fixedly attached to the under side of the table, the operator grasping both free ends of such rod and pulling them forward out of the grooves when it is desired to unlock the table. This requires the use of both hands, and the table must be lifted before releasing the ends of the rod, making it inconvenient to operate.

My present invention relates particularly to the table-locking means for chairs of the type referred to; and it has for its object the production of means whereby the operator can with one hand release and lift the table, thereby leaving the other hand free to hold the child until the table is swung back out of the way.

The novel features of my invention will be fully described in the subjoined specification, and particularly pointed out in the following claim.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the upper part of a chair provided with table-locking means embodying my present invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, looking toward the left. Fig. 3 is an under side view of the table, showing the latch members thereon in operative position. Fig. 4 is a similar view, but showing the latch members moved into unlocking position; and Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of one of the guides for the latch members, to be referred to.

The chair O, having usual side arms 0, the swinging table B, secured to arms 0, fulcrumed at 0 on the chair and adapted when in use to rest upon the side arms, as in Figs. 1 and 2, and the transverse open lockinggrooves c in the ends of the arms 0, may be and are all of usual and well-known construction.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, I have fulcrumed thereon two separate and oppositelyextended latch members 1 and 2, fulcrumed at 3 and 4, respectively, and made as flat and rigid stiff-metal arms, each bent, as at 1 2 to bring their outer ends beneath the arms a and in position to enter the locking-grooves 0 when the table B is lowered.

One of the latch members, as 2, has its outer end extended beyond the side of the table, as at 5, to form a finger-piece, and at its inner end said member 2 extends past the inner end of the member 1 and is provided with a cam-like enlargement 6.

The latch members can swing on their fulcra in substantial parallelism with the table, such movement being limited or controlled by guides 7, one of which is separately shown in Fig. 5 adjustably secured to the table by screws 8, passed through slots 9 in the body portions of the guides.

The bent end 7 X of the guide, through which the latch member 2 is extended, limits movement of said member in the direction to unlock.

A yoke 1 1, connected to the two inner ends of the latch members, is attached to one end of a spiral spring 12, its opposite end being fixedly secured to the table at or near its front edge, the tension of the spring acting to maintain the latch members in looking position and to snap them automatically into the grooves a when the table is lowered.

When it is desired to release the table, the operator grasps the finger-piece 5 and moves it in the direction of arrow 13, Fig. 3, swinging said member on its fulcrum 4 and causing the enlargement 6 to press against the adj acent inner end of the latch member 1, swinging it on its fulcrum to withdraw its free end from its locking-groove.

The unlocked position of the latch members is shown in Fig. 4, it being manifest that manual movement of the member 2 into such position by means of the finger-piece 5 causes the movement of the member 1 into releasing position, the spring 12 being stretched at the time. As soon as the finger-piece is released the spring returns the two members to looking position.

The slight lost motion between the inner ends of the two latch members is provided to permit any necessary adjustment of the guides l 7, so that the latch members will properly cooperate with the locking-grooves 0 But one hand is required to unlock the table and to raise it up, leaving the other hand of the operator free.

No unlocking movement of the member 1- will take place except through the manuallyoperated member 2, as will be manifest.

The location of the finger-piece 5 at the side of the table is convenient for the operator, and it is out of the way of the child, preventing acoidental unlocking of the table.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A chair provided with arms having transverse open locking-grooves at their outer ends, a swinging table pivotally connected with the chair and adapted to rest on the latch members independently fulcrumedon the table and adapted to automatically engage the grooves and thereby lock the table to said arms, the outer end of'one of said members projecting beyond the side of the table to form a finger-piece and its inner end extending past the inner end of the other mem- *ber and provided with an enlargement, and a spring operatively connected with both members to snap them into locking position, unlocking movement of the first-named member through the finger-piece acting through the said enlargement adjacent the other member and swinging it into unlocked position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of twe subscribing witnesses.

WALTON F. OLIVER.

Witnesses:

URBAN M. OLIVER,

arms, two separate and oppositely-extended GERTRUDE S. OLIVER. 

